Official Groundbreaking for Riverside Park

Before the Independence Day Bash kicked off last Saturday, the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Riverside Park Complex was held in the northeast corner of the fairgrounds. A flatbed trailer backed by two enormous front end loaders provided the setting for the ceremony and symbolized all of the hard work that would follow. Bunting, plants, and flags decorated the equipment and symbolized the beauty that would be the result of that work.

City officials on stage for the ceremony were Mayor Mattingly, Alderman Jim Gardner, Alderman Steve Lee, and Parks Director John Eckhart. Others on stage were Byron Hicks of McCLelland Engineering, Les Owens of Black, Corley, Owens, and Hughes, and Mark Beach of CDI Construction. Also, though not technically on the stage because of very recent knee surgery, THV’s Chief Meteorologist, Ed Buckner, was present.

The ceremony lasted roughly thirty minutes, and was pretty interesting as these things go. It was obvious that there was a lot of relief up there. Between the men on the stage and the people that work for them, I think its very conservative to say that tens of thousands of hours of work have gone in to making Riverside Park happen. For some, the ceremony marked a culmination of their efforts. For others, it was but a milestone. For still more, it was just the beginning.

While Saturday was the official groundbreaking, and while work has been proceeding on Citizens Drive and Jackman for some time, July 22nd was declared to be the day of mass mobilization by CDI in their construction effort.

To me, the phrase “Mass Mobilization” connotes an invasion, but I’ve been assured we have nothing to worry about. While the old airport may look like a war zone for a while, it’s all a part of the “dig down to build up” process. I, for one, can’t wait to see it happen.